A blog about Edward Lloyd Parry, who joined the LDS (Mormon) Church in Wales in 1848, migrated to Utah in 1853, and was master stonemason of the St. George Temple and Manti Temple.
LDS Apostle Daniel H. Wells (1814-1891) was a close associate of Edward Lloyd Parry. Their paths crossed numerous times throughout their lives, including the dedication of the Manti Temple in 1888.
Today my family and I were touring the Daughters of the Utah Pioneer Museum in Salt Lake City when we came upon a display case of Daniel H. Wells' belongings. We noticed two small stone carvings in the shape of books, one of which has ELP's name carved on it, and both of which came from Manti Temple rock. We wonder if this was perhaps some sort of gift from ELP to Brother Wells at the time of the Manti Temple's dedication. Here are the pictures:
Additional information comes from descendant Bill Parry who writes the following:
"I recognized most of the architecture from when I was a child living in the home. The back addition with the smoothed stone was constructed by my father Thomas H Parry when I was just a few year old. The stone is remainder from the sawed stone that was used to construct the present Sanpete County Courthouse. In fact, the doors to that addition when I lived there were from the previous courthouse building or so we were told. The stone structure at the back of the lot with the steel I-beam was built by my father, my brother Beven and I. The purpose was to build concrete burial vaults which we sold and installed in graves in cemeteries throughout Sanpete County. The I-beam and chain blocks were used to hoist the vaults and move them from the construction forms to storage and then to the bed of a truck for delivery to the installation site. I'm really surprised to learn that you found a tool box with stone mason tools. I also had found one when my father passed, which I donated to the Manti Temple. The Temple president then was Wilbur Cox, the son of my father's construction company Roy Cox. We moved from that home to the home just to the south, which had originally been built by Bernard son of ELP for his old maid sisters Hattie and Emma. That home was extensively remodeled and enlarged by my father."
Here is a photo of the Parry Brother Stone Quarry workers in action. The photo was donated by my dad's cousin, Janet Parry Kubin (thank you, Janet!) We logically assume that the three men pictured are the Parry brothers, Edward Thomas Parry (1859-1938), John Lloyd Parry (1864-1916), and Bernard Parry (1873-1940). In the background one can see the derrick used to move the immense stones onto the train. The photo was taken in approximately 1912. Attributed to the West Coast Art Company of Los Angeles, California. The original photo measures roughly 24" x 10".
This is a scan of a photo engraving of Edward Lloyd Parry. While it is in poor shape, it still has remarkable detail (click and zoom in on it). It is 3-1/2" high and 3" wide at the shoulders. It appears to have been cut from a larger picture or template, hence the uneven edges. It is mounted on some sort of thin sheet metal. I acquired it from my wonderfully generous cousin Winnifred. If anyone has further information on this remarkable piece, please contact me at elephantnavel@gmail.com.
Edward Lloyd Parry, as head stone mason of the St. George Temple, is mentioned in two articles published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormon). Enjoy:
ELP's son Edward Thomas Parry (1859-1938) wrote a brief biography on his father some time in the early 1900s. That biography (below) is available from the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum in Salt Lake City. We found that, apart from Juanita Brooks' The Life of George Brooks, Edward Thomas Parry's nine-page biography was one of the richest resources in learning about ELP. (Click each image to enlarge and print.)
Although these videos do not deal directly with ELP's life, they are related to the life of those Welsh people who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1840s and 1850s. In that regard, these videos help you to understand better the circumstances of ELP's conversion and his first years in the Church. Both videos were created under the direction of now-retired BYU professor of Welsh and Portuguese, Ronald D. Dennis. Enjoy.
